


Another Way of Veiwing Things

by cloudllamas_eat_CoOkies



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Be ready for swearing, Not Canon Compliant, Not Really Character Death, Random chapters of backstory, Random chapters of side stuff, Yeah there is violence ha, maybe a little blood, more tags probably to be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-01-15 15:40:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21255716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudllamas_eat_CoOkies/pseuds/cloudllamas_eat_CoOkies
Summary: A Bendy fic where Henry teams up with both allies and enemies to end the Ink Demon and find Joey Drew. Takes place after the end of Chapter 4.





	1. Wake Up Call

**Author's Note:**

> Whee, time to join the Bendy fics! This isn't really canon based, although there is some dialouge and events from the actual game, but for the most part this thing goes off the rails. Hope you enjoy it!

Henry woke up feeling extremely sore. He sat up on a small cot in the corner of what appeared to be a cage. Looking around, he saw that his cage was a part of a much larger room, and that many outside of the cage were looking in at him and the other mass on another cot in another cage right next to his, and almost identical.

He jumped, realizing who was in the other cot. Susie. She was still out cold after the other Alice clubbed her on the head with a pipe. Looking closer, Henry saw that she was curled up on the cot with her arms over her head. He looked back out at the larger room. More of the creepy ink people. Everywhere. Some more formed than others. Although… in the middle of the room. Alice and Boris. The ones who brought him and Susie to- wherever they were. He didn’t remember much of the journey, but he vaguely remembered carrying Susan on his shoulders through some kind of hallway. Glancing around the room again, he saw that a group of the ink looking people had gathered around Alice. A second later, Alice was striding towards him. Boris looked up, saw that Alice was walking towards Henry, and then followed suit. 

“Well, look who’s finally awake!” Alice exclaimed as she approached Henry. Her large eyes surveyed the cut on his face after his fight a few hours before. He had ridden in a cart on what seemed to be a roller coaster before Susie decided to unleash her monstrosity on him. He had been forced to kill the shadow of what was once a friend. The first Boris. Now, the other one stood facing him. He looked a lot like the one he had known, maybe a little buffer and tough looking. The main difference, though, was that his left hand was missing, and replaced by some kind of metallic hand that worked just like a real one. 

The new Boris looked at Henry with disdainful, untrusting eyes. He glanced at Alice and the room beyond her, then said, “Yeah, sure, if you were wondering when he would wake. Can you remind me why we took him in? You could have carried that other one perfectly fine on your own shoulders, had you tried.”

“Don’t be silly, he needed help. He was just attacked by two people, for goodness sake, why would I just leave him?” Alice studied his face a little closer. “That cut looks nasty, Tom. See if you can find Sherman so he can patch him up.”

“Tom?” Henry spluttered. He was still a little dizzy and sore, and the name caught him off guard. “Your name is Tom?” He looked at the Boris called Tom, and he made a grimace and then glared at Henry. 

“Damn right. Why do you need to know what my name is? My name’s not all that important, anyways. Allison, can I ask again about why the hell you brought him here?”

“Never you mind, just go find Sherman so that this stupid cut on Henry’s face can be fixed and not become infected!” Alice snapped in response, and Tom slunked off, grumbling about food supplies and traitors. 

“You know my name?” Henry asked in confusion. 

“Of course I do, you’ve been the talk of the studio for days now. Besides, most of us here used to actually work at the studio, and you were second best to only Joey himself!” 

“Who were you when you worked at the studio, then?” Henry asked. Alice looked away, seemingly embarrassed at the question.

“Do you remember the name Allison Pendle?” she asked, and looked back at Henry. His blood nearly ran cold at the name. Allison Pendle was one of Henry’s closest friends while working with the company, and was one of the first to disappear after the studio fell. Not too long after, Sammy, then Wally, disappeared as well. 

“I-I- yes, I do.” Henry stammered.

“Well, me and Tom met up here about twenty years ago, while the current studio was still incomplete. He and I joined a small group bent on defying Bendy and his mini Hell. We’re still a part of it today.” She gestured out at the rest of the room. “It’s grown since then, but we still have the same goal: defy those who follow and find a way out of here.

We started by finding a place to camp. It was hard, because all the demon’s little minions were running around and making things hard for us all. We’ve moved a few times over the years, ‘cause life isn’t always safe here. A few of the other smaller groups have been attacked before, sometimes by the Demon himself. But-”

“WHY ARE YOU TELLING HIM THIS STUFF!?” Tom roared as he stomped back over to the cage. Half the room turned to look at him, and even Susie shifted in her sleep. Slinking along behind him was another ink looking person, but this one looked a little more human than some of the other ones. 

“Jesus Christ, Tom, you act like telling Henry these types of things will kill us all!!” Allison cried in exasperation, looking around at Tom. “He should know this kind of stuff, considering that we’re all stuck here for God-knows-how-long, and any newcomer in this proximity should know!”

“You’re always acting like everyone you meet has nothing against you or anyone here!” Tom barked, “How do you know he isn’t working for, or, God forbid, _ with _ Bendy to make this freaking place a new world of its own?”

“Thomas, where the hell did you get an idea like that?! Bendy’s been trying to kill Henry for the past half of a week! Why would they be working together? Last I can tell, the Ink Demon worked alone.”

“But Sammy-”

“Sammy was a lunatic who thought pleasing Bendy was the key to breaking out. He wasn’t working for him, he just wanted to leave, like the rest of us. He took an insane risk, though, and look where it got him!”

“But how can you tell-”

Excuse me, the two of you,” Sherman suddenly cut in, “But I believe you wanted me to _ help _someone?” He looked at Henry and then said, “And I also believe you two bickering about Sam isn’t going to get anyone anywhere.”

“Um- right,” Allison said, “You’re right. Give me a minute.” And just like that, the argument was over. She walked over to the door of the cage (consisting of mostly wooden bars nailed together and put on a makeshift hinge), unlocked it, and let Sherman inside. Tom looked again at Henry and then said, “Well, fine then, just do what you want, dear Allison.” With that, Tom was gone.

“I am going to _ kill _that stupid dog.” Allison grumbled as she walked off towards where Tom disappeared. 

“Are they always like that?” Henry asked as Sherman started taking a look at his face.

“Not always,” Sherman replied, “Thomas just sometimes is a little distrusting of newcomers to the studio. Allison wants to give everyone a chance, until they show that they can’t be trusted.” Sherman leaned back from Henry’s face. “It’s not as serious as it seems. It’ll take some time, but with a little patching up, it will heal.”

“My face or their argument?” Henry asked in confusion.

“Your face.” Sherman said. “Sorry if I was not completely clear.”

A few minutes later, after Henry’s face had a bandage on it, Sherman was let out by someone else, who it was Henry had no idea, and then was left by himself in the cage. He looked at the cot in the corner. It’s sheets were a little musty, but they were whole and looked warm enough. _ I suppose it _ could _ be worse, _ he reasoned, and after a small dinner consisting of soup and a little water he finally laid back down on the cot to sleep. 

“WHERE THE _ HELL _ AM I?!”

The shout shocked Henry out of his light sleep and his head jerked to the source of the sound. Everyone else, too, seemed to be looking at the same spot.

Susie was awake.

She glared around the room as Allison started up. As she walked over to the cages, Tom suddenly spoke up.

“Finally awake, are you? Henry woke up hours before you even twitched.” He stood up to follow Allison and, as he did so, Susie practically growled like an animal and pounded at the door.

“Son of a bitch, LET ME OUT!” She shouted, and Allison stopped about ten feet from the outside of the cage in apprehension.

“What did I tell you, Ali, she would be pissed.” Tom remarked as he stopped beside Allison.

“I told you to stop calling me that.” Allison replied, “So what if you were right? You don’t need to call me by that stupid name.” 

“Well, you were about twice as pissy when I called you Alice.”

“That’s because that name is a stupid reminder of my past. This whole place is, but at least people aren’t calling me _ that. _” She trailed off with a shudder, and Susan finally spoke up.

“That’s because that was_ my _ job,” She hissed, “Not _ yours _. You stole it.”

“She didn’t steal shit.” Tom remarked, “She was just better than you.”

“LIES!!!” Susie roared, “LIES!! That was MY job, not HERS. She stole it, it was mine, it was mine, IT WAS _MINE_!” 

“You sound like a 5 year old.” Tom said, “Calm down, you act like any second we’ll bite off your head and give the rest of your body to the Searchers.”

“You wouldn’t fucking dare,” Susie growled “You wouldn’t do that, I’d rip _ your _ head off long before you could even _ try _to do something like that.”

“Susie, chill out. No one’s gonna do that to you, and if Tom wants to do anything like that, I’ll make sure he doesn’t lay a finger on you.” Allison said patiently. She looked at Tom and said to him, “And I’ll make sure she doesn’t lay a finger on you, either.”

“What about _ him? _ The animator? He’s part of the reason we’re stuck here, after all, is he not?” Susie looked right at Henry and sneered. “He created Bendy, after all.”

“I didn’t even know something like this was going on here,” Henry said, rather shaken up at the possibility that he helped to make this. How would he have known his cartoon characters would become living beings? Let alone cause chaos like this? “I just came ‘cause I got a letter asking me to come back and see something. In fact, I may still have it now.” He reached into his back pocket and felt the letter there. He pulled it out and presented it to Allison (surprisingly, it had only a little bit of ink on it), who took it and held it up to read in the dim light. Her eyes widened, and she passed it to Tom.

“What do you think of this?” Allison asked as soon as Tom finished reading it.

“That’s Joey’s writing, all right.” Tom replied, handing the letter back to Allison. “How long ago did you get this?” he asked, looking at Henry. 

“Not that long, the day before I arrived. I was a little skeptical at first, but when I saw the studio was pretty intact, I decided to explore. The only indication that Joey actually wanted me here was that letter.”

“Well, it’s hardly a damn letter at all. All it says is ‘Heya Henry, why don’t ya come back to the studio and see the nightmare I created? Nothing can possibly go wrong! Have fun!’” Tom made a face, almost like pitying disgust. Allison rolled her eyes and returned the letter to Henry. 

“How did you get trapped all the way down here, then, if all you did was walk around the first floor?” Allison asked. Henry then recounted his entire experience on the first floor, starting with him first walking in, to the pentagram in the room on the second floor. 

“So _ you _were the one who turned on the Machine, then.” Allison said in wonder. “We’ve been wondering for a while who it was.” 

“You knew the Machine turned on?” Henry asked. How did they know?

“Not only could we feel the change, but we could see it, too. The Demon quickly became restless, more on guard. And so, we did, too. We didn’t know what had happened, or what would.” Allison answered. She looked back at Susie and said, “Right? You felt it, too.”

Susie scoffed and said in a scathing voice, “Well of course I did. I’m stuck in the same problem you are. More of those disgusting Searchers showed up _ on my floor _ and Bendy started to become _ more _ aggressive than before. Something was up.” She grinned maliciously at Henry and said, “But I had no idea that it was _ you. _ At least, not until I saw you for the first time. Clueless little fly.” 

Henry burned. How- how could- why- how could he have known this!? He didn’t ask for it, didn’t want it. Sure, he may have wondered a few times what it would be like to actually get to meet his characters, but _ this? _ This is the last thing he wanted. Trapped god-knows-how-far underground, chased by a demon, a freaking _ demon _, and his only “allies” are his old friends from the studio, and they were turned into his other characters! 

As if Henry’s emotions showed on his face (and, let’s be honest, they probably did), Tom glared at Susie and said, rather bluntly, “You’ve caused way more problems then Henry did, so you can shut your mouth.” 

“I had reasons to do what I did. Henry had none.”

“Your reasons were shit. Henry had no reason because he didn’t know that his actions would lead to stuff like this. We didn’t even know. When did we learn of the consequences? After we wound up stuck here. So, as I said, you can shut up.”

“Poor, poor Thomas,” Susie giggled, “Afraid you’re gonna end up like sad, scared wittle Wally? Killed by an old friend because of big, bad, me?” 

“I said shut the fuck up, you deranged asshole.” Tom snarled, taking a step towards the cage where Susie was. All Susie did in response was laugh. 

Allison stepped up to the pair, her face expressionless. “Tom.” She said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

“It was a terrible idea to bring them here, Ali.” Tom muttered at her, not taking his eyes off Susie as Allison led him away. 

Well then. This was obviously_ not _going to be the easiest time for Henry to sit through. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so chapter two of this is probably going to be a whole lot longer than this chapter 'cause it covers some back story, sorry if some of the things said here contradict the next part, but let's see where this will take us. Even if they way he talks makes it seem that way, Henry actually did get to meet Bendy before the studio shut down. See ya!


	2. Past Musings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry thinks about some of the things that had happened to him, and Susie wants to know. But before she she can ask, Allison and Tom have some questions of their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sweet, this isn't as long as I had feared it would be, only about two pages worth. :D  
Let's talk a little about backstory, shall we?

Later on, after Henry managed to squeeze in a few more hours of sleep, and still feeling rather tired when he woke, he looked over at Susie, only to see her watching him with a darkly interested face on. She grinned, put a finger to her lips, and turned away to point at Allison, who was painting on the wall and humming a rather familiar tune. 

“I know that song.” he said.

“Of course you do.” Susie replied in a bored, annoyed voice. It didn’t take much to set her off, apparently.

Allison paused her painting and walked over to the duo. She smirked slightly in a kind way and said, “Oh, good, you’re awake again. I had food prepared for once you were both up.” She picked up a couple of bowls on a table near the doors, and set them on the open ledge on top of one of the boards, one on each. 

“I’m sorry, it’s all we have.” She said, then walked back to her spot at the wall. 

“Oh, _really_,” Susie said sarcastically, “I only thought that applied to _everyone else_ except for _you_. I had _no idea_ that something like that would apply to someone as _great_ as _you_.” 

"Oh, stop it, you're too kind," Allison said dryly in response. 

At that moment, Tom came over to the wall where Allison was busy drawing and writing, line after line. He glanced over at the wall, then over at Henry. His eyes still looked distrustful, but he said to him, “So are you gonna eat it, or what?”

Henry gave a little start, then looked down at the bowl on the sill. “Oh yeah, sure,” he said, then grabbed it and started to drink the broth. Again, the only thing available to eat was the blasted soup. Tom and Allison started talking in low tones by the wall, occasionally glancing out to the room and over at the two caged in the corner. 

Henry finished his soup, then put the bowl back down on the sill. Susie’s bowl still looked untouched. She was idly looking at her fingernails, sometimes sending glares in Allison’s direction. Allison didn’t seem to notice. Over by the wall, their conversation came to a close and they both walked off into the small crowd milling about the rest of the space. They didn’t come back for several hours.

For that time span, Henry’s only entertainment was just his thoughts, Susie’s snide comments about him and his affiliation with Bendy, and the occasional curious figure who would come and talk to him for a few minutes before wandering off. He for the most part sat there thinking about his wife and daughter, not for the first time, and about how they must be worried sick about him. He also thought about Joey and all of the things that he had never told Henry. And he thought about the day he had met his characters for the first time.

It had been an otherwise normal day, drawing and dealing with the complaints of those who didn’t want to deal with Joey Drew. He had stayed late to help with Susie’s audio equipment (whenever she spoke into it the results sounded more echoed than they should) and Susie had wandered off to get some water. When she had been gone for nearly twenty minutes, Henry went to go follow her. Making his way toward the break room, he heard raised voices towards the direction of Joey’s office. Nobody was there, so he kept going forwards toward the back of the studio, where the Ink Machine was. 

Muffled voices that became clearer had slowed down his pace. "Joey, I still can't understand how you could hide a secret like this from us! What would happen Henry were to find out?"

"Nonsense!" another voice said, " If Henry finds out about this, there’s no way that he’ll want to send them back.”

“Apparently you don’t know your friend all that well. How did you even- no, I don’t even _want_ to know. Just- just, nevermind, I’ve got to go back, or he’s going to start to wonder….”

And then Henry had heard a voice that made him stop cold. In a small, quiet voice he heard, “Um, excuse me? D’you… think, um, that maybe we could finally meet him? We’ve been waiting for a long time….” Henry ran the rest of the way to the door and flung it open.

Three faces turned in shocked unison as the door slammed against the wall. Susie and Joey were both there, but…

“J-Joey! What the hell is this?!” Henry stutterd.

Joey seemed startled and confused. “Henry! Oh, uh- I uh, well… surprise!”

Surprise indeed. 

Sitting in one of the corners was… Bendy. Small in comparison to the rest of the room, but Henry knew the secrets, determination, and the power of the little demon that, at the moment, seemed so timid. Bendy's eyes lit up when he heard Henry's name, and his scared expression turned into a small, enthralled smile.

Henry was still too shocked to register the expression on the other's face. "Joey," he said in nearly a whisper, "_How the fuck_…?"

"Now, listen, I-I can explain. You see, I thought that maybe if I, uh, brought some of our most famous characters to the studio, maybe-" Joey started.

"But you didn't-"

"Of course not! I would _never_ take risks like that!"

"But then how do you explain- _this_?!" Henry cried, waving his arm towards Bendy's direction. The demon’s face fell.

Susie rolled her eyes and said, "What did I tell you, Henry wouldn't like this."

"This is not a game of 'I told you so,'" Joey said, turning his head towards her.

"It might as well be," she scoffed.

Bendy slowly stood while they were yelling at each other and made his way closer to the door. He was only slightly taller than Henry's waist, but he held himself with a confidence that made him seem taller, despite how nervous he seemed. Henry, Joey, and Susie stopped their shouting and stared down at the cartoon character. Bendy tugged on his bowtie, cleared his throat, and said to Henry, “So, uh, hi! I mean, um, w-well… hi. I’ve uh, heard a lot about you since I arrived, but I guess we’ve never met face-to-face until now, ha! Um, Henry right? The head animator?”

“...Yes?” Henry said. Bendy seemed to relax a little more and smiled a tiny bit.

“Oh, good, I was worried for a second that I was completely wrong. You know all about me right? I’m pretty sure you do, after all, I mean… oh God, this is so weird,” he trailed off with a mumble. Bendy brought a hand up to his forehead and held it there like he was embarrassed. He sighed through his, um, nonexistent nose and looked up again.

"Well, anyways nice to meet you, but I gotta go. See ya!" and Bendy quickly left the room. "Talk to ya later!" He called from the end of the hallway.

And so the three were left in the room, each one mad in their own regards. Susie because she felt disrespected, Joey because his secret was out and said secret just walked out of the room, and Henry because, well, guess. 

The next day, Henry had met both Boris and Alice after work hours, much to Bendy's delight. And a week later, the rest of the studio got to meet them.

It took some time, but everyone got used to each others presence, and the trio started to gravitate towards those who they were most comfortable around. Alice spent most of her time with the voice actors, Boris with the maintenance workers. Bendy, however, was rarely seen to socialize. He would often sit off to the side of rooms, not talking to others unless he had to.

Until he caught Henry by himself. 

Bendy walked down the halls of the studio, looking from side to side. Where was Henry's office again? Wally had said that he was in the animation department, which is where Bendy was now, somewhere towards the back. Sure, Joey had specifically said to leave Henry to his work today, but he had never specified the _cartoon_ characters, just the employees. Yeah, he had his doubts, but he'd never know for sure 'til he tried.

Asking around a bit more, he finally found his way to Henry's office. Nervously, he walked up to the door and knocked.

"Come in," came the reply.

Bendy carefully opened the door and said, "Henry?" 

The animator looked up from his desk. "Bendy," he said, looking a little surprised, "What're you doing here?"

"I came to see if you wanted company," Bendy said. He'd forgotten how tired Henry always looked, behind his glasses and light brown hair. 

Bendy was sure he would say no, but then Henry said with a small smile, "Sure, you can come in, I'm honestly a little surprised you didn't ask sooner."

"Really?" the small demon asked. He walked inside and sat on the floor by Henry.

"Yeah, you should've seen the look on your face when you heard my name. I expected you to come barging in the next day, demanding to talk to me."

Bendy scoffed in an amused way. Henry's office was littered with doodles, storyboards, half finished frames, ink, crumpled papers, pens, pencils, it was a mess. There was a file cabinet in one of the corners, one of its drawers open. And there was also a calendar with all kinds of writing on it, like dates and deadlines, birthdays and appointments. 

The two chatted for a while longer, then Bendy had asked if Henry wanted help drawing the animations. Sure, he had said, go right on ahead. They had spent almost the entire rest of the day working on this new episode that had to do with a county fair. Some idiot had let one of the largest pigs there loose, and the rest of the time was spent trying to get it back in its pen.

It kind of reminded the demon of a very similar time at, well, a county fair. Of course, things went a little differently than what the storyboards suggested, but the general sentiment was clear.

Bendy looked up at Henry. "So," he said, catching Henry's attention, "Are these episodes based on, you know, stuff that happened to me and my friends?"

"Kind of," was the answer, "Some of it _is_ stuff that I had intended you to go through, back when I first made you. Other things, though, they're just stuff that me and Joey make up as we go along."

Too true. Some of the things that Bendy had gone through would be enough to make kids have nightmares for days. Like the encounter in the swamp, or the backstory to his friendship with Boris and Alice. "What kind of stuff do you make up?" Bendy asked.

"Haunted Hijinks, Snow Silles, episodes like that. I know for sure you're not the type for trick or treating."

"Or building snowmen," Bendy smiled.

Henry smiled, too. 

And their friendship had lasted. When everything at the studio had fallen apart, Henry had no idea what had happened. All he knew for certain was that Bendy would become a faint memory, only later to be forgotten. Little did he know, though, that he was far from the end.

Henry sighed and sat down on the cot. Norman, Wally, Allison, Susie, Sammy, everyone else. All turned into either monsters or forgotten characters. Joey was the core to this, he just knew it.

But why? And _how_?

He hadn't realized anything was off that terrible day until the lights went out and people started screaming and Joey was lying crippled, completely crippled, on the floor. And then a monster was on the loose and Wally had shouted at him to run and blood was all over his clothes as he desperately tried to escape with Joey on his shoulder.

All he could think was, _Why? How? Who? Everyone's panicking. Where's Bendy and Alice and Boris are they okay what do I do can I get out?_

Henry could have sworn he saw ink move up the walls before he was standing outside, sirens everywhere, the dim light from the setting sun fading. 

Joey was never able to walk since then, and, like so many other employees from Joey Drew Studios, disappeared and was never seen after that.

Nor his cartoon creations.

Henry had thought that they had died in the attack. But if the Ink Demon was the real Bendy…. Are the others still alive? Or… well.

Linda. Oh, Linda. She must be worried to the point of insanity. How long had he been gone for now? And his daughter May. And the rest of his family. Henry wished so bad that he could send a message, tell them that he was still alive and okay. When he had left… only for a few days, Henry had said.

"Well, don't take too long, okay?" Linda had told him while he packed a small bag, "You know I'll miss you."

"Of course," Henry mocked, pulling his wife in for a hug, "That's you ever tell me, 'I love you' and 'I'll miss you.'" 

Linda had smiled in return. "Well, there is a reason I say those things, stoic faced." And they had laughed.

And now Henry was in a living Hell, wishing more than ever that he had just ignored the letter. However, the thought of leaving everyone here to their fates just didn't sit well with him. Ever since the studio was shut down for good, Henry had been scared of the place. He nearly had refused to go, he had even walked in with a cross around his neck. Joey may have told Henry that he stayed away from demonic rituals, but after that day, Henry wasn't so sure. At all.

"So, my little, hmm, _ex-errand boy_, what have you been thinking of for the last forever?"

"Huh?" Henry blinked, looking over at Susie. Her face twisted into an annoyed expression.

"_Really_, you should learn not to _ignore_ others like that. It is very _rude_, after all."

_Says the girl who forced me to do all kinds of 'chores' for her, only to lie and attempt to kill me on several occasions,_ thought Henry.

He sighed. "Just about everything that happened before. You know, Joey and all the chaos."

"Well, at least you were able to escape for so long, much _longer_ than anyone else," Susie said irritably. 

"I can acknowledge that," Henry said. It was still pretty uncomfortable to hear Susie talk to him like an almost normal person.

"So are you going to tell me what exactly was spinning around in your head, or just leave me clueless?" Susie questioned.

Henry looked at his lap. "I'm not entirely comfortable with talking about it."

"Fine." The 'angel' looked away from Henry and scowled.

"Well, look who's back," she said.

Allison and Tom were both coming back. Tom looked… upset to say the least, but Allison marched straight up to Henry's cagr and opened the door. She motioned Henry to follow her. Surprised, he stood up and started walking toward her. 

Susie let out a shout. "Hey!" she demanded, "Why does _he_ get to be free?"

Allison ignored her and grabbed Henry's arm. She steered him towards the exit, nearly making it out before Henry managed to shake her grasp.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked.

"You'll see," was the simple response.

She grabbed his arm again, more gently, and she led him down the hall. Not another word was said between the two, and after about thirty seconds or so Henry noticed that Tom was following close behind. The wolf jerked his chin as if to say 'don't look at me, keep moving.'

Henry obliged. Several more hallways and an elevator or two later, the trio found a pair of heavy looking metal doors. The words 'DANGER BEYOND' were on the wall to the left. Seriously, who was writing all of these? Surely it couldn't be just Allison.

The doors slid open as they approached, and the room beyond looked like much of the rest of the studio Henry had been exploring. That's when he realized that the areas he been led through were much cleaner, and there hadn't been a Searcher in sight. It must have been like Boris’ safe room, only much bigger. They stopped just outside and Allison sat Henry down on a couple of crates nearby.

She drew her knife-sword thing. Henry had seen her with it a couple of times before, but he had never seen her use it. At least, that he could remember._ Is she going to stab me?_ he thought with worry. 

“Don’t worry,” Allison said, reading his face, “This is just in case something unpleasant were to come by. Tom’s armed, too.” That’s when Henry saw Tom was holding an axe in his right hand. 

They sat there in silence for a moment. Henry got more nervous as seconds went by. Suddenly, Tom spoke up.

“So,” he said, “What do you remember of the Demon’s Rise?”

“The what?” Henry asked, extremely confused.

Tom grunted. “The day the Ink Demon became the Ink Demon and he turned half of the staff into monsters. What do you remember of that day?"

Henry hesitated. Allison spoke a little more kindly, "Just tell us everything you remember, because we can't remember anything."

"Why not?" Henry asked.

Allison replied, "The ink. It messes with you." 

Henry stopped and thought for a second. He didn't really have a choice. “Well, I was sitting at my desk, just drawing like I always would. Nothing was supposed to happen that day, no deadlines, special visits, anything. You and Tom were elsewhere in the studio. Then the lights went out, and I heard staff starting to panic. I ran outside and started in the direction of the shouting. The lights came back on a moment later, and I saw… well something that I don't think I'll ever forget."

Tom sighed. "Which was?"

"It was," Henry started, "It was Joey and he… he wasn't in the best state. His l-leg, it was- it was almost snapped in half. I swear to God another firm tug and the rest would've come right off. He was unconscious, but looked like he was in so much pain. After that, all hell broke loose. I-I don't remember too much. Just a lot of panic and screaming, and flashing lights, and this… terrifying noise. It may have been the chaos of the moment, but I thought I heard it say my name." Henry stopped for a moment. "Do, uh, do you think it was him?"

Tom and Allison looked at each other, eyebrows raised, and Tom said, "It seems logical enough. You think he told the truth?"

Allison nodded. Tom sighed again and rubbed a hand across his face. "Well, then. We should get back before anyone finds us by ourselves."

"Wait," Allison said, flinging out an arm to stop Tom as he moved towards the door. She looked down at Henry. "How many people made out of the studio that day?"

Henry hesitated. "_Well_?" she demanded.

"Not even half," he said finally, quietly. Her eyes widened in shock and she shook her head, stepping back. She gestured Henry to follow her and they set off back to the room. Not a word was spoken this time, either.

And he wound back up in the cage. Susie glared at him, huffed, and asked, "So?"

He glanced at her quizzically. She scowled and said, "_What did you do_?"

Henry blinked. "Why?"

"Because I want to know and no one's talking." Susie growled.

"Nothing," Henry stated.

She hissed. "_Lies_."

"Nothing important," he corrected himself.

"Surely it would be if _those two_ were willing to take you away for nearly an hour."

An hour had passed? It felt so much shorter. Henry felt tired. Again. He told Susie what Allison and Tom had asked them, and her told her his response. And he added the other detail.

"...but right before I made it out the front door, I think I saw the Ink Demon, but he looked so… different. And I don't know why."

She was silent for a moment before saying, "You probably did. If you think what you see walking around the halls is the real danger, my little errand boy, then you are **terribly mistaken**." 

Henry jumped back. Susie's voice had taken on its distorted quality that he remembered from when she had 'promised' him and Boris freedom in exchange for doing a 'few small' tasks for her. She continued.

"You see, what you've witnessed of the Ink Demon is only a mere fraction of the actual power he possesses. I've seen his true form, and it truly is a sight to behold. Sooner or later he's going to lose all control and _kill us all._" Susie laughed dryly, "So enjoy your **freedom** while it lasts, dear Henry." She smiled coldly.

Only a fraction. Knocking down metal doors, killing Henry with a single touch, becoming the most terrifying entity im the studio so that even those like Norman and _Susie_ fear him. And he wasn't even at his peak? Jesus Christ, what the hell happened to his character? 

Henry couldn't stop dwelling on the facts he knew. And the ones he didn't. Surely Bendy didn't- it would've killed him. Could something like that even carry over to Henry's world? Is Joey really that stupid? Henry didn't know for sure, but he had the feeling that soon he would know.

Not that he was ready, or anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot, another chapter completed! It feels good to finally be able to write these things down, instead of them constantly circling in my head. I wonder if my characters are believable to the way the act in canon...  
Welp, anyhow have a nice day and I'll keep writing!


	3. The Lost One and His Lord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Bendy's turn for the spotlight. Minding his own business, he finds a Lost One, and decides to... talk. If you can consider a barrage of threats a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writer's block sucks. But it's done. And I'm excited to keep working, let's see now...

When Joey Drew had offered Bendy and his friends the chance to become famous, Bendy sure as hell never expected to become a monster. The creature of his nightmares.

And yet here he was. Blind, in pain, and spitting mad at the world. Why? Because his whole damn life was _NOTHING BUT A FOUNTAIN OF PAIN!! _First he was stripped of friend, family, and power, sentenced down to the depths of H-E-double hockey sticks, nearly died several times after meeting Boris and Alice, was dragged off to another dimension by a pathological _liar_, and now, _now_ look where he was! Stuck, a danger to everyone and everything, and barely in control of his own self. Whoop-dee-doo. Fan_tastic_.

_**Someone could have at least given me a sort of self-help guide, like, I dunno, "How to Keep from Killing Everyone Around You," or "What to Do When Your Life Falls Apart and Are Stuck in Your Own Head."** _Bendy supposed. Ah, well, such is life. Sooner or later he'd get the chance to rip Drew's head off. _**Mark my words.**_

The chorus of voices in his head rose slightly with that thought, and he growled, trying to shake them off. They've spoken constantly of pain and misery for the past 30 fucking _years_, and they wouldn't be quiet.

_**SHUT THE FUCK UP!**_ he roared at the voices. Like that would help. It didn't, and enraged Bendy ran up to the nearest Butcher Gang member, a Fisher, and killed them. Slowly and painfully he sunk his needle sharp claws into the damn thing's chest and watched with satisfaction as it screamed with agony. It exploded after a moment, and Bendy withdrew his hands from the mess of what was left on the floor. Just some small bits of lumpy ink, nothing more.

Just like what he did to Norman. The voices were loud, they were violent, and he couldn't stand it any longer. So he had snapped. And had also unintentionally saved Stein's life, but he figured he'd leave the old man alone while he dealt with his own problems. Like the corpse he was now dragging through the halls.

Shaking away the thought, Bendy stepped back from the spot where the Fisher had been and noted that the voices had returned to their normal state. Every time. Always a kill for quiet, like some cruel punishment specifically designed for him.

He sighed harshly and turned to walk away, when movement of to the side of his field of vision caught his attention. What-? Oh, just another Lost One. Well, Bendy did kind of need a distraction.

He carefully stalked up to the poor creature, who was mindlessly doodling away on the floor. The thing suddenly looked up and around at the demon, who grinned. The thing shouted in fear and made to run, only to be stopped by the Ink Demon throwing him to the ground.

"Please, my lord, _please_!" it shouted, "Please let me go!"

**"Your _lord_,"** Bendy sneered, **"How pathetic for you to think of me that way." **His lines spread farther across the floor, much to the Lost One's panic. His victim started to squirm under his hands, desperate to escape. There was this saying that spread among them, angel or demon:

"Don't let the lines spread, or soon you'll be dead."

Bendy always had laughed at that line, so stereotypical, a rhyme. However the meaning behind it was true. If the lines of ink he was always displaying grew in length, usually it meant he was ready to kill something. Either due to loss of control or just general rage. Trying so hard to keep his temper, Bendy leaned in closer.

**"I'm going to let you up,"** he growled at the fool, **"Try to escape, you little _shit_, and you're _dead_. Understand?"** The Lost One nodded frantically. Bendy removed his weight, and the thing scrambled up off the floor. 

Intelligently, the Lost One stayed. "T-thank you, my lord." He stammered.

The Ink Demon's grin returned. **"Don't be so sure that I'm some kind, loving _angel_,"** Bendy mocked, watching the creature flinch when he said the word "angel." His smile grew slightly. **"Do you not know what I did to the fool who called me his prophet?" **

The Lost One's eyes widened. Bendy waited for him to say something. When the thing didn't, Bendy continued.** "Be careful who you choose to follow, you filthy pig. I may be quiet and I may stay out of the way, but when I need to get my hands dirty, I will. All this '_my lord_' crap is really starting to wear down on my nerves."**

He stepped closer to the thing, and the inky person across from him took a half step back in fear. "I-I'm s-sorry m- I mean, I'm sorry, uh, uh-"

The Ink Demon smirked. **"Ink Demon or even merely Bendy will do, Lost One."**

The thing nodded his head and mumbled, "My apologies, Bendy." It looked down at its feet and tentatively back up after a moment. "Um… permission to ask a question?"

Bendy snickered. **"Go ahead."**

"Why did-? I mean, what did Sammy do? I mean, all he said was-" he stopped when Bendy threw back his head and started cackling in wicked tones. Oh, this poor beast!

When he finally calmed down enough to speak, Bendy said, **"The answer is simple: the idiotic line 'he will set us free.' And his blind determination to accomplish the impossible. So in a more… _foolish_ attempt to please me, to say the very least, I'd simply had enough."** He chuckled, merely to unsettle the Lost One before saying,** "You should've seen how he begged me, _commanded_ me to stay away from him. In the end, it was easy to kill him. Set him free… indeed I did, or at least set him free of the… what did he call it? Something along the lines of 'this prison I call a body.' I tore him apart from the inside out."**

The thing took another step back, looking about ready to bolt. Bendy was satisfied, but suddenly felt the need to leave. His face fell. Crap, well, shoot. **_I supposed I've tortured the poor sap enough_**_,_ he mused, _**but before I go….**_

He focused back on the Lost One's face and saw that his eyes were wide, gold, and terrified. Across the rest of its body, the thing was tense beyond belief. So Bendy took a few steps back to give the bastard some space. He relaxed, only the tiniest sliver of released tension, but it was just enough for the Ink Demon to notice.

His smile returned once more, making it as intimidating as possible without it being outright terrifying. Bendy had realized a long time ago that damn, he was _good_ at stuff like that. It never really worked when he was, well, Bendy, but as the Ink Demon…? Oh, that was a _very_ different story.** "Well, I've just realized that there's an _immensely_ important meeting I have to attend. This was a pleasant chat, but I have something important to tell you; tell anyone about this conversation, or the fact that I am letting you go, and _I will find a way to get at you_."** He finished with an ominous growl.

The thing would've blanched at this point, if he could. The thing quickly swore that nary a soul would hear about the things that transpired. Bendy made his way over to the wall that he knew had one of his portals in it. Just before he stepped inside, he turned back to the Lost One with a final grin.

**"Remember what I said, m'kay? Don't tell a soul. Oh! And I almost forgot, how rude of me," **he stepped into the portal, put a finger to his lips, and said, **"Your name's Peter, isn't it?"** And he was gone.

Peter still had no idea what the hell had just happened. He had been doodling out a map for his fellow Lost Ones, detailing different spots to avoid on that level of the studio. And then, of all the luck he could have possibly had, his lo- er, _Bendy_, had snuck up on him, and had nearly killed him! Or… well, at first it had seemed that way. For some reason, the Ink Demon had settled on threatening him. Peter still had no idea _why_ the Demon had decided on letting him go, but _he_ sure as hell wasn't about to complain. 

He stared at the spot in the wall for a few minutes more, decided Bendy wasn’t coming back, and quickly turned around and left. Next time he would bring a friend. Or… maybe five. Peter never wanted that to happen again; Searchers were bad enough.

Curse his luck, he turned a corner and there was not one, but _three_ Searchers in the hallway. And there were no other detours. And he had no weapon. And there wasn't one that he could grab. 

And then they had to, of course, see him standing there, and, in his indecision, nearly died trying to get past them. Searchers. What a laughable situation. Lost Ones and Searchers were practically kin, why were they so _aggressive_? 

Aggressive… was what his lord said about Sammy, was it true? Peter supposed that it would've explained the Musician's sudden silence, but… everyone knew Bendy never killed mercifully. Despite how quick it seems, stories had spread that, whatever it is that the Ink Demon does, it hurts like all hell. Another thing that confused the hell out of Peter was the Ink Demon's constant mood swings. He was grinning like a maniac one second, and then he looked about ready to kill someone the next. That was one of the most dangerous and unpredictable things about life in the studio.

Either way, _that_ was never happening again on Peter’s watch. He hurried on the hallway, looking for any other Lost One followers to keep him safe, preferably with a weapon.

Bendy came out through the other side of the wall, looking around to get his bearings. Despite his limited sight, he saw enough to see that he hadn’t overshot his destination. He was in the Music Department. He’d have to make his way through the vents from here, for some reason he couldn’t travel around the first floor like he could the rest of the studio. He had a Machine to check on.

He broke a grate and climbed inside. Bendy hated these cramped spaces. He’s always had a small amount of claustrophobia, ever since… well, let’s just say Donnivan can be a dick sometimes. 

The small place was dark, cramped, musty, and full of cobwebs. Bendy shook a web off of his horns, growling slightly in annoyance. While he had fantastic hearing, the Ink Demon's night vision was… mediocre, at best. Nonetheless, he often traveled around using these vents when he needed something from the first floor. He had well worn tracks around these passages, always leaving behind little signs to point him in the right direction. Bendy found the one for the Ink Machine, and began to follow that.

A few turns, some ink leaks, and more than enough cobwebs later, and the vent system finally started to rise, if only slightly. He was getting close.

Suddenly, there was another grate in front of Bendy, who knocked it aside and happily climbed out of the small size of the vents. _**Hmm… the Machine is still here, **_Bendy thought. _**How… strange.**_

The Ink Machine was still suspended over the pit, long quieted after the initial fiasco with Henry. Even Bendy had to admit, the room was a total wreck. Ink was everywhere, coating the walls, the floor, even some of the ceiling. Dammit, the Machine was almost off. Were the items even still there? He felt around the room, looking for the hidden switch. Somewhere over… _here!_ Surprisingly, the shelf wasn't completely ruined. He moved it aside.

Before he flipped the switch, Bendy decided it'd be a good idea to check the breakroom, just in case. He tore down the boards from the door, his own preventive measures to keep from immediately killing Stein when he saw them, and made his way down the hallway.

_**Holy shit, it's dismal in here, **_Bendy thought. _**I suppose it's a **_**good**_** thing that the Machine settled down a little.**_ The first floor was an utter wreck. The floor was still flooded with ink, the walls looked like they were about to break from the strain. The lights refused to work, even the emergency ones. It was dark, cold, and Bendy felt claustrophobic again. He found the breakroom and entered. Strangely, everything was still in place. Each of the totems had their respective items on them, from the plush to the book.

_ **Okay, okay, this is good! Now I just need to… ugh, dammit! Who the hell am I kidding? How is extra power from the Machine going to help me at this point? I don't need to get any worse than I already am. ** _

Bendy whipped back around at the sound of something clattering to the floor. His horns twitched slightly. What the hell was that? The voices got a little excited at the distraction, egging the Ink Demon forwards to investigate. 

He left the break room, searching for the source of the noise. The lights were still off, making it near impossible to see. He couldn’t hear anyone moving… no breathing, either. Could it have just been gravity? Wait… there! He heard something. By the Machine? 

The Machine… wait… _**SHIT!!**_

Bendy took off at a run towards the Machine. Dammit, he never hid the switch! It can’t be turned on, not yet! His ankle suddenly spiked in pain a little, and he stumbled. When he looked up from making sure he didn’t fall face first into the ground, he saw a faint shadow pass by in his peripheral vision. Bendy lashed out with his fist, cuffing the shadow in its abdomen. 

Whatever it was doubled over in pain, falling to the floor. It groaned, signaling to Bendy that whatever he struck was more sentient than your average thing found in the studio. Some creations from the Machine were nothing more than shapes, no conscience, no voice. Not even noises.

It honestly made Bendy, even the way he was now, a little sick. Even if it was his fault, that didn't mean he never felt completely awful about it. In some of his more extreme moments of clarity, the guilt that he felt was bad enough that all Bendy wanted to do was tear into his skin with his own claws and scream. 

The thing on the floor still didn't move, despite the fact that Bendy hadn't made any other motions. It panted, staring up at him in fear as the Demon looked at it, almost curious. He tilted his head to the side, wondering why it wasn’t moving. Suddenly, the thing jumped up and ran for the other side of the hall. Bendy gave chase to it, hoping to catch it before it got away. It turned at a corner, the Ink Demon not ten steps behind him. Yet… when Bendy turned the same corner… it was gone. Poof! There was even a dead end here. Where the hell did he go…?

Bendy sighed, and turned back around. Might as well pack up, there was no reason to leave the switch out if he wasn’t gonna use it. 

The thing crawled out into the Angel's territory, hoping to remain undetected by the Ink Demon. Slinking through the hallways by himself, the only problem being a Gang member which he quickly took care of. He found a Miracle Station and slipped inside to think.

He was alive. The Demon hadn't ended him, the Machine had spit him back out into the world. Henry… was also still alive. What had become of him? He used to not care, but spending time in the Puddles, even for a few minutes…

What was we he to do, what was we he to do? Wait… that was the only solution. No longer shall he follow like a _blinded_… well. Now… how to find the animator?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm, not much to say here. I literally have little to no script to follow here, so sorry if it seems like it jumps around a lot. Next chapter... let's see how I do.


	4. You Said What to Him?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bendy sees Tom and the Lost Ones panic and leave. Henry and Susie leave together in the hopes that supporting each other will lead to a higher chance of survival. But does it really?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack I'm so sorry for taking so long! This is more of a hobby than anything, so I write when I feel up to it, please don't hold that against me. Also: violence in this chapter. Be ready for it.

Days later, and Henry was still stuck. How many days? Henry had no freaking clue. After day one, Henry fell into a kind of routine. Wake up, eat, think, doodle if paper and ink were available (and the likelihood of that was very high, given where he was), chat with Susie, the occasional Lost One, maybe Allison if he was lucky enough, observe the area around him, deal with Tom's complaints, go back to sleep. 

The most eventful thing that had happened to him after Allison and Tom had dragged him away to ask questions had occurred… yesterday? Allison had put food up on the sill for Henry to eat, and then put a bowl on Susie's sill, too. Tom approached as Allison walked away. Before Henry could think, the wolf marched up and swiped his hand across the top. Henry's bowl crashed to the floor, the contents spilling everywhere before the animator could blink. Susie started to roar with laughter while Henry gaped like a fish at the mechanically armed man. 

"_Tom_!" Allison exclaimed. He ignored her and moved over to do the exact same thing to Susie's bowl, also untouched and gone before she could react.

"_Hey_!" Susie shouted, jumping up like she was ready to throw a punch at him. Tom didn't say a word, just huffed, turned, and walked away. Allison had strode up to him and leaned over, her voice too quiet to make out words from where Henry was, but he was pretty sure she was scolding Tom. Everyone else was either looking at the mess, the captives, or the arguing duo who were starting to snap at each other.

Henry and Susie both received a replacement bowl and nothing else was said.

Now, a new kind of unrest was flurrying around this 'anti-Bendy' group. Everyone was standing tensely, hurried whispers flitting around between groups. Clusters of the Lost Ones were scattered everywhere, their already nervous energy being spiked by whatever was going on. Henry reached out and asked "Excuse me?" to a passing ink person. They stopped and looked at him with the same timidness and edge that everyone else had at the moment. It was starting to get Henry, too, and Susie, if her shifting on her cot meant anything.

"What's the matter? Is something happening?" Henry continued. The Lost One blinked. They seemed female, if physical appearances applied to anyone here anymore. She cleared her throat.

"Um, no one's really sure yet, Allison and Tom haven't come back. But, uh, if something did happen, it's not gonna be good…." and she hurried away. Susie glanced at Henry, then looked away again. What did the woman want now?

Henry sighed quietly to himself. "What is it, Susie?" he asked, turning to look at her. She turned back and looked at him for a moment, her eyebrows raised. And he got no response. Susie just shrugged and swiveled her head back around. Henry, in easy defeat, dropped it and returned his gaze to the rest of the room. The Lost One he had spoken to was wrapping up a coil of rope while another beside her seemed to be packing a bag. That. That can't be good.

Henry started to fiddle with his hands as the level of nerves and jitteriness started to slowly build. Susie began to look visibly unsettled at the quiet buzz of fear flitting around. Finally, it could have been minutes, it could have been an hour, but finally, Henry saw, or rather heard, for they were so loud, Allison and Tom arrive at the door. Hearing what they were shouting, though, made a pit open up in Henry's stomach.

"Tom! How could you have let him see you!?" Allison sounded panicked and infuriated. They stepped through the entrance on the opposite side of the room. Everyone whipped around to face them, expectation and fear clearly visible. Allison was leading Tom in by the arm, looking even more pale than usual, as was Tom. 

You could hear the silence in the room as one of the Lot Ones walked up to their leaders and tentatively asked, “Sirs…?” Allison looked up. “It wasn’t…?”

Allison looked at the floor, defeated. “It was,” she sighed quietly, but it was so quiet around the space that Henry heard it from across the room. Gasps, shouts, cries, wails, noises filled the room at the statement from the angel’s mouth. Henry’s heart dropped nearly twenty feet into a pit at those words. Susie shot up and screamed, “_**WHAT!?**_”

“I’m sorry,” Allison continued quietly. “We need to leave as soon as possible. He’s seen us.” she looked back up, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “The Demon will kill us if we don’t.” Immediately, Lost One’s were flying around the room, gathering objects like weapons and tools scattered about. Susie looked like she was about to have a heart attack from fear and rage. Henry sat down on his cot in shock looking at the movement on the other side of his cage door. At this point, it really seemed like a cage.

Allison hurried up to the cages, worry shining in her eyes. Susie was already at the door demanding to know what happened.

“I-I,” Allison started, looking strained, “Tom and I were not really doing anything important, just doing some basic mapping. We had thought it w-was safe, so we split up. And then next thing we know, Tom was seen by Bendy and we had to run away before he killed us. And we made the mistake of running back here…” Allison trailed off to a murmur, the next words she uttered incomprehensible from how quiet they were. She left, a whispered promise to get them out before the space was evacuated managing to reach the captives' ears. 

Everything was almost done. The Lost One’s had finished packing, and Allison had a bag slung over her shoulder, a coil of rope at her hip. Tom held his axe, thumping it against his leg in impatience and nerves. Another Lost One scampered up to him and held out a second axe, to which the wolf took and strapped across his back. The final preparations were made and everyone was ready to go when they were interrupted by a growl somewhere in the area, coupled with quiet moans, the signature sounds of the Searchers. Everyone stiffened in terror, raising weapons slightly. 

“Go, now.” Allison said tersely, shoulders tensing. The Lost One’s started flocking to the doors, Allison battling the current of inky bodies to make her way over to Henry. She shoved her body through the last pack, and grabbed onto the gate, locked tightly and boarded after Allison brought Henry back from questioning a few days ago. She started pulling, grunting from the effort it took her. The boards didn’t move. Tom forced his way over to her, no small feat considering the mass of bodies by the door. Allison turned to him in near hysterics.

"Tom!" She cried out, "We need to get them out of here! Help me!" She pulled even harder, but to no avail. The boards would not move. Henry was beginning to get frightened. Susie was standing at the door to her own cage, a wild look of terror in her eyes. She was shaking slightly.

Tom grabbed Allison's arms and yanked her away. Allison struggled, crying about how Henry and Susie couldn't be left behind. Tom started shouting about how they would never help if the situation was reversed. That Allison needed to move. The Bendy would kill everyone else if she kept holding them up. Henry felt numb. Tom was winning the argument. Allison finally ripped away from the wolf’s grasp. She stood there for a short moment, shoulders shuddering as she cried. She slowly looked up at both Henry and Susie, tears flooding her eyes, the dull light in the dark orbs pleading forgiveness. 

“I-I’m sorry,” she whispered. Allison turned on her heel and fled. Susie flung herself at Tom through the bars, screaming, but nothing changed. Tom turned and silently walked away, not sparing them a second glance.

Leaving them to die.

Susie was in utter hysterics. “YOU FUCKING SICK BASTERD!” she shrieked. “YOU LOW LIFE LITTLE FUCKING SHITHEAD OF A FOOL!! LET ME **THE FUCK GO! _I CAN’T DIE LIKE THIS!!_**_ PLEASE!!_” she collapsed against the wall, sobbing like she was already dead. Henry stood at the door, gaping in shock that Tom would- would… just talk Allison into… leaving them to die. He could barely think, barely move. He slowly sunk to the floor as well. He mutely looked over at Susie to find her in a quaking ball on the floor. Her hands were pressed on top of her head, crying like it would save her. 

Henry felt sick. His breath hitched slightly. What was he gonna do? _Oh shit oh shit ohshitohshitshitshitshit- no no please, not again._ Bendy… again. Thrown under the bus. Joey, Susie, his old best friend who hated Joey and committed suicide, Bendy himself… and- and now Tom. Hung to dry. Left for the wolves, so to speak, but this wasn't a wolf he had been left for. It was a demon. 

Almost everyone was gone, a few remain stragglers running for the exits as the sounds of the monsters grew closer to the now abandoned base. Henry’s mind was starting to clear, and his mind began racing for a way to get out. No weapons, the boards weren’t moving… the best bet he had would be that Bendy would come inside, see him, rip down the boards in order to kill him, and then maybe Henry could try and slip by as quick as he could? But then where would that leave Susie?

It was hopeless. Whatever force that kept him from death would just have to do its magic after another painful demise. He felt terrible for leaving Susie to her fate, even if she had tried to kill him twice. Henry sat down on his cot, resigned to his fate, when he saw a Lost One, the same one as before, hurrying over to Henry. Both he and Susie looked up in hope. She shot a quick, nervous glance around the room before stopping and dropping a pipe into Henry's cage. 

“Here, take it,” she said quickly. “You’ll need it to get out alive. From the sounds of it, a fight is more than necessary. I gotta go. Take care of yourself.” She left, faster than she came. 

Henry called out, “Hey, wait! Why would you-”

“Don’t worry,” the Lost One said, already at the door. “Just don’t tell Thomas, ‘kay?” Henry, without another complaint or comment, grabbed the pipe and immediately began bashing it against the boards on the door after wrestling the gate open. One by one, they fell apart, and he scrambled out as soon as he could step over them. The sounds had been getting louder and louder, signaling that they were terrifyingly close. The room, as of yet, was empty. No other weapons. Two exits on opposite sides of the room. 

Henry heard a whimper. Oh. And Susie. He turned to her and saw her face pressed against the wall of her cage. She looked at him pleadingly, and at the pipe in his hand. “Henry,” she said, “Please.” 

Henry didn't know what to say to her. _You tried to kill me, so I'm just returning the favor?_ He was better than that. Yet what would stop her from trying again if he _did_ let her go? But the way she had talked about the Puddles. They genuinely terrified her. Hell, they genuinely terrified Henry. Why would he make her go through that again? But she killed Boris. And tried to do the same for him. All so that she could… fix whatever happened to her face. What could he do…?

Henry heard a snarl off in one of the nearby hallways. He needed to make a decision, and fast. He said to Susie, "Why should I?"

“Because, Henry, you’re too kind to not let me go. You want to prove yourself better than those around you, so you cannot help but give everyone your trust. It’s your greatest weakness. Always has been, always will be.” A snarl, terrifyingly close. “Please,” she said again, “Please let me go. I-I’ll help you, even! I’ll never touch you or any of your friends again. _Please, Henry!_” Her begging started to dissolve into tears again. 

Henry stepped up to the cage. "Don't make me regret this," he said to Susie, before lifting up the pipe in his hands and aiming for the boards. _Please don't make me regret this._

The boards clattered to the floor, the gate opened, and Susie stepped out. Henry raised his pipe slightly, keeping his eyes carefully trained on her. She was shaking, trying to hide her fear despite her eyes betraying her. She sneered slightly at him.

“You can _relax_, errand boy,” she said. Her voice trembled as she spoke. “Let’s just get out of here before anything else happens.”

“Agreed,” Henry quietly said. He turned towards the visible exit. The likelihood that both exits were blocked was high. But their only way out was through those two exits. Where else was there that they could get out of? 

His eyes trailed across the rest of the room. Nothing, nothi- bingo! A vent. All that would be needed is to pull off the grate and-

Oh. Henry glanced back at Susie. And climb inside. Susie might not be too happy about that, but at this point they had no other choice. 

“There,” Henry said, and pointed at the shaft. Susie looked at where he was pointing. Her lip curled slightly in a sneer, but without complaint she followed him over to the vent and followed him inside after he pulled it off. She shut it behind them, and the vent became dark. 

_Too bad I don’t have a light this time_, Henry sighed to himself. The vents were hard enough to navigate, even with a light. And last time didn’t go too well…

\-----

_Henry crawls through the vents, thinking about the inky people who call themselves the Lost Ones. Henry wasn’t feeling terribly comfortable in these vents, considering the fact that if anything came for him, he’d be trapped. Turning another corner, he finds an empty room on the other side of a large grate. _Is this where I get out?_ Henry wonders hopefully, crawling a little faster than he was seconds before. However, this turns out to be a mistake._

_All of a sudden, the Ink Demon slams into the grate from inside the room. Henry nearly screams with fear, just barely stopping himself from doing so. Regardless, he gasps in worry as the cartoon monster leers at him from the other side. Nothing happens for a solid five seconds before Bendy snarls, pounds his fist into the grate, then turns and leaves._

_After Bendy is gone, Henry stares for a moment at where the demon was, only a few feet away. He realizes he is hyperventilating slightly from the adrenaline, and tries to steady his breathing. He decides to move on to the next room, wondering why the hell something like that just happened. _

\-----

“Henry!”

The man startled, craning his neck and contorting his body around in the dim light to see the dim outline of Susie. She was turned in his direction. “Why are you staring at the wall like that?” she asked, not too pleasantly.

Henry blinked, realizing he had zoned out. “Just the vents. My last experience in these wasn’t too pleasant.” 

“The air is becoming stuffy, Henry. We should keep going." Susie said. The air was getting a little uncomfortable, and it was still dark and cramped, so Henry agreed. The duo in the vents made their way down to the level below (of course) off of a split in the shaft and tried to find another grate. The problem was, they were closer to the ceiling than the floor, so finding a safe place to get out from was proving difficult. Henry was becoming winded at their pace and was about ready to ask Susie for a break when:

“Psst! Errand boy!”

Susie was crouched by a grate. The light was falling in lines across her face, the mutilated side hidden from Henry's angle. He shifted and shimided over to Susie to peer out at what she was seeing. 

Searchers. Dozens of them. The room was packed. Taking a closer look, Henry realized it was actually a hallway packed to the brim, just… filled with Searchers. What in the name of…?

Susie drew back from the grate. “What do we do?”

“What do you mean?” Henry asked her. 

“They can’t notice we’re here,” Susie said, slowly trying to scoot down the vents back the way they came. “And because there are so many, the Ink Demon has to be nearby as well.” 

“Shit,” Henry breathed. Bendy showing up would _not_ be good for either of them. He turned to follow Susie. “Alright then, let’s go.”

“That’s what I was already doing,” Susie said, grunting as her heel got caught on a loose panel. She tugged it free, both of them wincing a little at the sound. They hurried down the vent, trying to make as little sound as possible. Both were becoming slightly winded by the time they saw a vent exit a fair distance away from the horde of Searchers. 

Susie tried pushing it. It didn’t move. She tried again, pushing harder. Nothing. 

“Henry,” she hissed, moving as far to the side as she could. 

Henry grumbled internally and crawled forwards. He couldn’t get to the grate, however, so he and Susie had to do this strange shuffling dance in the vent, resulting in Henry getting kicked in the shin and Susie nearly losing a shoe. The entire time in his head he had been chanting _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck- OW! Fuck, fuck, fuck…_

He planted his hands on the surface of the grate and pushed. He felt it give a little, so he stepped back. He lunged forward, slamming his shoulder into the grate, causing it to pop open and crash on the floor, and also most likely bruising Henry’s shoulder in the process. He and Susie clambered out into the empty hallway. Like every other hall, it was filled with ink and poster after poster. All of Bendy’s face. Doors, opened and closed, lined the walls. A single light in the middle of the hall flickered on and off. 

Henry picked the direction opposite (he hoped) of the horde of Searchers and started to walk. The single, flickering light made it relatively difficult to see where he was. He assumed a hall of offices. Susie was behind him, arms crossed over her chest since she had no weapon. Henry tightened his grip on the pipe in his hand. Their only mode of defense against whatever the studio chose to throw at them.

He had only one goal at the moment. Well, two. Wait, three- oh for god's sake. _Two_ goals: stay alive, find Allison and Tom. And dozens of other goals on top of that. 

They passed an open door way. No light illuminated the room beyond. It was nearly pitch black, but Henry was surprised to see Susie walk inside. Moments later, she came back out with a scowl.

"Nothing," she said. Henry blinked in confusion.

"To use as a weapon, Henry."

"Oh," was all he responded. Susie glanced down at both ends of the hall. Henry saw nothing in either direction when he took a glance. Honestly, Susie not having a weapon made Henry feel safer. He still didn't trust the woman at all. Trying to kill him twice over made it kind of difficult to want to travel with her. He didn't want to leave her to die, unlike her, but his kindness only stretched so far.

Henry started walking again, sighing loudly and thinking, again, of his wife. Damn studio. Fucking Joey. Stupid Ink Machine. Blasted Demon-

Fuck. _No, fucking god dammit_.

Bendy. Of all the damn luck he could have, it was Bendy. No Miracle Station. None. He felt Susie tense behind him, and the two of them slowly started to back away, desperate to make no noise.

But then Henry stepped on a creaky board.

They both froze in terror as the Demon turned and looked at them, his grin becoming wide as he saw the duo standing not twenty feet away from him.

**"Why, hello,"** Bendy said, **"Isn't this new? I never thought I'd see the day you became a slave to someone else, Ms. Campbell."** He- he had a _voice_? Bendy could _speak_? Since when?!

"I'm nobody's slave, _**Demon**_." Susie snarled. The Ink Demon laughed. "Yes, _laugh_. But _**I'm**_ the one who's _trying_ to _**not look like a freak**_." That shut Bendy up.

**"...Excuse me?"** he said, his form tensing. Henry's heart nearly skipped a beat as the Ink Demon fully turned his body to face them. His grin had contorted into a frown. Susie was unaffected.

"**You heard me, you ugly shit,**" Susie cackled lightly. Bendy started to growl. Were- were his lines spreading? "I'm trying to fix **what you did to me. Do you not remember _destroying my face_? Turning Sammy insane? _Ruining me?!_** **Because _I_ do, sweet Bendy, and I'm taking back what's _rightfully fucking mine._** You may have ruined my life, but **I will make you _miserable_, you hopeless _bastard_!**"

**"_SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH, WITCH_!"** Bendy roared.** "_Who do you think you are?_"**

"Susie, please," Henry whispered. She didn't listen.

"Why, I'm **Alice Angel**." Susie said in a voice like poisoned honey.

Bendy lunged at them, murder obvious in every inch of his body. There was no time to run, so Henry did what he considered to probably be the dumbest move in his life. He didn't think. He ripped off the cross around his neck and, praying that it would do something, hit Bendy across the face with it. The demon stumbled back, howling. Henry felt a hand grab his wrist and pull, so he spun and followed Susie at a near sprint.

There was a loud, inhuman sound behind them. Without looking, Henry knew it was Bendy. He realized he had dropped the pipe when he tore off the necklace, which he still held in a tight grip. _Crap_.

"What the fuck were you _thinking_?!" Susie hissed.

"I should ask you the same question," Henry panted, already getting winded. "Why would you antagonize him?"

Susie refused to look at him. "Don't waste your breath," she said.

How the hell was she able to run in heels and _still_ be faster than him? Freaking aging and all the stupid drawbacks. Henry took a quick second to peek at the walls and saw that Bendy was quickly catching up. They needed to hide, and fast. Nothing, nothing, nothing, still nothing! Why couldn't luck ever be on his side here?

Henry was starting to think he couldn't run anymore when he followed Susie around a corner. At the end of the hall was a single, waiting, empty Little Miracle Station. His heart leapt in hope- until he saw how far it was. Not only that, but there was a small, simple problem: it would only be big enough for one of them. 

There was no way Susie was going to give it up for him. He was hosed. 

Sure enough, the woman in front of him put on a burst of speed, leaning into a full-on sprint towards the Station at the end of the hallway. Henry threw a glance over his shoulder and- _Jesus Christ!_ Bendy was only about five feet behind him. In desperation, he turned and pushed Susie in an effort to make her move faster- and effortlessly tripped over his own feet and fell. The necklace flew from his hand. Susie didn't turn back.

His fate was sealed. Henry braced himself for what he knew was coming.

Until Bendy flew over his head.

He looked up to see Bendy slam himself against the Miracle Station, shouting in frustration at losing Susie. Oh. _That's_ who he was aiming for. Henry knew he only had a few seconds before Bendy turned to him, so he quickly located his necklace and threw it back over his head, scrambling to his feet.

Sadly, there wasn't any time to run. Henry had only just managed to get his footing before he was slammed painfully back down onto his stomach, the heavy weight on his back growling in his ear. Henry couldn't breathe. He was terrified when the Ink Demon spoke to him.

**"What happened to me, Henry?"** Bendy said, whispering in the man's ear.** "Why'd you let me become this way?"** There was no curiosity, only cold anger. 

"Wh-what are you- _AAAAAH!!_" Henry screamed. The Demon had raked his claws over Henry's back, tearing into the flesh and spilling blood everywhere. 

**"Do you not care? What kind of fucking _idiot_ thinks that a tiny crucifix like that would keep me away? _You wrote me, Henry, made me, you should know how I work_."** Every sentence Bendy spoke he added another jagged tear to Henry's back. The pain was becoming ridiculous and overwhelming. He couldn't see anything beyond blood, ink, and his limp hand in front of him. He could hardly see even that. Why was this so much worse? Why couldn't Bendy kill him and be done?

Bendy grabbed the sides of Henry's head. There was a light growl.** "Oh, well. If I felt like it, I'd make you choke on your own blood, but since I'm in no mood to drag this out and play a stupid game of human anatomy-"** The demon yanked the old man's head up and brought it crashing down with insane strength.

Henry heard a crack as his head hit the floor, and then he dropped back into a familiar darkness with only searing pain to comfort him.

\-----

He hadn't been there to see Bendy throw his mangled corpse into an ink pit, or the blood that followed his body like a trail. He never saw his smashed skull, the mush that flew everywhere because of it. His torn clothes.

But Susie did. She saw it all. And she _loathed_ it. That disgusting _demon_.

Henry would never see her leave the Miracle Station, stepping daintily around the gore that now covered the floor. His gore. His mess of a brain. What was left of it, anyways. 

He wouldn't see her find one of those accursed Bendy statues, where she had seen him crawl back from the grave countless times. He was bound to appear here, she knew it. So she waited. And waited. And finally, she saw what she came for.

The ink portal. Coughing and sputtering, out crawled Henry in his newly ruined clothes, those being the only indication that he had ever been attacked. Secretly, she was grateful he had been kind to her. Even more secretly, Susie was terrified of the man, of the animator who somehow, miraculously, managed to cheat death and a Demon, time and time again.

She forced a sneer on her face and said to him, "It took you long enough."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Any suggestions for improvement are greatly appreciated! This is a one man show, so I'm bound to make mistakes here and there. There isn't an update schedule for this, so chapters will come as they come. I apologize for any inconveniences about this.
> 
> Have a nice day, wherever you are!


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